Countless studies show individuals would rather have pleasant and personable co-workers than a co-worker who is always right. One Aspie states, “I try to keep this in mind each day, and consequently, I spend a lot of time planning my interactions. But sometimes my plans fail.”
Jobs need to be chosen that make use of the strengths of individuals with Aspergers. Both high and low functioning individuals have very poor short-term working memory, but they often have a better long-term memory than most normal individuals. One Aspie states, “I have great difficulty with tasks that put high demands on short-term working memory. I cannot handle multiple tasks at the same time.”
Some job tips for individuals with Aspergers:
• The boss must recognize your social limitations.
• Sell your work, not your personality. Make a portfolio of your work.
• Jobs should have a well-defined goal or endpoint.
It is important that Aspergers individuals pick a college major in an area where they can get jobs. Computer science is a good choice because it is very likely that many of the best programmers have either Aspergers or some of its traits. Other good majors are: accounting, engineering, library science, and art with an emphasis on commercial art and drafting. Majors in history, political science, business, English or pure math should be avoided. However, one could major in library science with a minor in history, but the library science degree makes it easier to get a good job.
Some individuals, while they are still in high school, should be encouraged to take courses at a local college in drafting, computer programming or commercial art. This will help keep them motivated and serve as a refuge from teasing. Families with low income may be wondering how they can afford computers for their child to learn programming or computer aided drafting. Used computers can often be obtained for free or at a very low cost when a business or an engineering company upgrades their equipment. Many individuals do not realize that there are many usable older computers sitting in storerooms at schools, banks, factories and other businesses. It will not be the latest new thing, but it is more than adequate for a student to learn on.
A man/woman with Aspergers has to compensate for poor social skills by making themselves so good in a specialized field that individuals will be willing to "buy" their skill even though social skills are poor. This is why making a portfolio of your work is so important. You need to learn a few social survival skills, but you will make friends at work by sharing your shared interest with the other individuals who work in your specialty. One Aspie states, “My social life is almost all work related. I am friends with individuals I do interesting work with.”
Bad Jobs for Individuals with Aspergers—
• Air traffic controller -- Information overload and stress
• Airline ticket agent -- Deal with angry individuals when flights are cancelled
• Cashier -- making change quickly puts too much demand on short-term working memory
• Casino dealer -- Too many things to keep track of
• Futures market trader -- Totally impossible
• Receptionist and telephone operator -- Would have problems when the switch board got busy
• Short order cook -- Have to keep track of many orders and cook many different things at the same time
• Taking oral dictation -- Difficult due to auditory processing problems
• Taxi dispatcher -- Too many things to keep track of
• Waitress -- Especially difficult if have to keep track of many different tables
Good Jobs for Visual Thinkers—
• Animal trainer or veterinary technician -- Dog obedience trainer, behavior problem consultant
• Automobile mechanic -- Can visualize how the entire car works
• Building maintenance -- Fixes broken pipes, windows and other things in an apartment complex, hotel or office building
• Building trades -- Carpenter or welder. These jobs make good use of visual skills but some individuals will not be able to do them well due to motor and coordination problems.
• Commercial art -- Advertising and magazine layout can be done as freelance work
• Computer animation -- Visual thinkers would be very good at this field, but there is more competition in this field than in business or industrial computer programming. Businesses are recruiting immigrants from overseas because there is a shortage of good programmers in business and industrial fields.
• Computer programming -- Wide-open field with many jobs available especially in industrial automation, software design, business computers, communications and network systems
• Computer-troubleshooter and repair -- Can visualize problems in computers and networks
• Drafting -- Engineering drawings and computer aided drafting. This job can offer many opportunities. Drafting is an excellent portal of entry for many interesting technical jobs. I know individuals who started out at a company doing drafting and then moved into designing and laying out entire factories. To become really skilled at drafting, one needs to learn how to draw by hand first. I have observed that most of the individuals who draw beautiful drawings on a computer learned to draw by hand first. Individuals who never learn to draw by hand first tend to leave important details out of their drawings.
• Equipment designing -- Many industries, often a person starts as a draftsman and then moves into designing factory equipment
• Factory maintenance -- Repairs and fixes factory equipment
• Handcrafts of many different types such as wood carving, jewelry making, ceramics, etc.
• Laboratory technician -- Who modifies and builds specialized lab equipment
• Photography -- Still and video, TV cameraman can be done as freelance work
• Small appliance and lawnmower repair -- Can make a nice local business
• Video game designer -- Stay out of this field. Jobs are scarce and the field is overcrowded. There are many more jobs in industrial, communications business and software design computer programming. Another bad thing about this job is exposure to violent images.
• Web page design -- Find a good niche market can be done as freelance work
Good Jobs for Non-Visual Thinkers—
• Accounting -- Get very good in a specialized field such as income taxes
• Bank Teller -- Very accurate money counting, much less demand on short-term working memory than a busy cashier who mostly makes change quickly
• Clerk and filing jobs -- knows where every file is
• Computer programming -- Less visual types can be done as freelance work
• Copy editor -- Corrects manuscripts. Many individuals freelance for larger publishers
• Engineering -- Electrical, electronic and chemical engineering
• Inventory control -- Keeps track of merchandise stocked in a store
• Journalist -- Very accurate facts, can be done as freelance
• Laboratory technician -- Running laboratory equipment
• Library science -- reference librarian. Help individuals find information in the library or on the Internet.
• Physicist or mathematician -- There are very few jobs in these fields. Only the very brilliant can get and keep jobs. Jobs are much more plentiful in computer programming and accounting.
• Statistician -- Work in many different fields such as research, census bureau, industrial quality control, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, etc.
• Taxi driver -- Knows where every street is
• Telemarketing -- Get to repeat the same thing over and over, selling on the telephone. Noisy environment may be a problem. In telephone sales, you avoid many social problems.
• Tuning pianos and other musical instruments, can be done as freelance work
Jobs for Nonverbal Individuals with Aspergers—
• Copy shop -- Running photocopies. Printing jobs should be lined up by somebody else
• Data entry -- If the person has fine motor problems, this would be a bad job
• Factory assembly work -- Especially if the environment is quiet
• Fast food restaurant -- Cleaning and cooking jobs with little demand on short-term memory
• Janitor jobs -- Cleaning floors, toilets, windows and offices
• Lawn and garden work -- Mowing lawns and landscaping work
• Plant care -- Water plants in a large office building
• Recycling plant -- Sorting jobs
• Re-shelving library books -- Can memorize the entire numbering system and shelf locations
• Restocking shelves -- In many types of stores
• Warehouse -- Loading trucks, stacking boxes
Adults with Aspergers have a hard time finding jobs now. What will the jobless rate be for that group when — if current statistics are correct — the 1 in 110 children who have Aspergers try to become employed? As it is now, lots of adults with Aspergers are looking for full-time jobs, but their gifts are not recognized.
Jobs For Aspergers Adults + Free Job Coaching
30 comments:
Wow this is a great resource.. I’m enjoying it.. good article
I can really relate to this article. I am a 30 y/o female with Asperger's. I am very intelligent and graduated from college 7 years ago with a BFA and I cannot find a job to save my life. I can't even get hired for a crappy minimum wage job. I wish I had seen this list (and been diagnosed with Asperger's) before I started college so that I could have made a better choice about what I studied. I'm obsessed with books and I think I would really like being a librarian. It's too late now though, I can't afford to go back to school, so I'll probably be unemployed for the rest of my life. I feel so much despair and hopelessness about this, I wish I would just drop dead.
Yah I made the mistake of majoring in pure math, which the author of the article had the good sense to put on the short list of majors to avoid. In 20/20 hindsight I should have seen that the 'Sputnik effect' was about creating math/science academic career opportunities specifically for the Baby Boom generation.
Re: "Nerd"
"It's too late now though, I can't afford to go back to school, so I'll probably be unemployed for the rest of my life."
Just wanted to offer words of encouragement. It's never too late. Although it may feel that way, I know you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. For example, you mentioned you love books. This has a plethora of opportunity. I believe many Aspies (my son included) have enhanced creative ability because of their ability to analyze things in-depth. I would encourage you to leverage your passion for books as they provide opportunity to learn new things and insight to changing your thought patterns to be more open and self-encouraging. You can use books to study on topics of interest and think of creative ways to offer your knowledge to people who may need it. I would look to online/digital publishing as an avenue to explore. I just know you can accomplish your passion. Don't believe you can't. Best of luck
I have aspergers traits and dyspraxia. My problem is not social skills but my communication skills are not excellent.
I live in the UK. I have a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science, PGDip in Actuarial Studies, professional qualification in Statistics.
I wanted to become in Statistician/Data Analyst.
I cannot work in sales. I think I may have trouble work in a client - facing role.
I have worked in a call centre as a telemarketer for a period of a year but it is an easy call centre. I could not work in a call centre permanently. I am not the best person. I cannot undertake manual work, shop work or administration work because I have dyspraxia(most people with AS have dyspraxia).
The real problem is the competitive nature of th economy across the world. IT and Engineering jobs have disappeared due to outsourcing.
I am over-qualified for non - graduate jobs.
Statisticians are in demand, few people want to be statisticians.
Support is primarily targeted at children and lower able adults.
No one knows how to support adults with AS.
Excellent article. One thing though, obedience trainer and veterinary tech might not be a good choice for some on the Autistic Spectrum. In these fields, it is important to have great social and people skills. A good part of training a dog is in training the owner how to train the dog. Also, if you have executive dysfunction, it may be hard to implement and follow steps to get to the ultimate goal - a very important thing in training. I worked in the animal care industry previously and it wasn't a good match for me. Too much social skill required. It was high stress and high pressure as well.
Virtually all jobs require social skills. That's the whole problem. For example, the only line of paid work I have ever really succeeded at is data entry. 'Back office' roles such as that are obviously the most trivially easy jobs to outsource. The key to autistic self-empowerment is changing that equation globally. The good news is that (as evidenced by this post in this blog) the autism parents care about the employment prospects of autistic adults. The question is, if we and our allies do succeed at creating an 'autistic friendly' (or more broadly, 'introvert friendly') labor market, will it be in some sense 'artificial;' involving subsidized jobs, make-work jobs, 'sheltered' jobs, etc. Personally, I don't think we should limit our options to things market fundamentalists would approve of. I also think at some point we will be living in a 'post-employment' economy, across the board. At that point, it makes a big difference whether the public is considered to have an equity share (i.e. a dividend) in the automation systems and other capital assets that make GDP possible and paid employment impossible. If not, society will consist of people with portfolios big enough to live on, living of course in gated communities or the equivalent, and the rest of us, for whom life will be nasty, brutish and short.
In other words, I would urge everyone to think of autistic workers (or worker wannabees, as the case may be) as a sort of canary in the coal mine.
Thanks very much for this post. My son is 19 and struggling with this very issue. BTW, we are in the process of going through the Depart of Vocational Rehabilitation, which is supposedly very helpful or people with Asperger's. They even said that they might be able to help with college expenses. I'm not sure if the DOVR is a federal thing or if each state has their own such program with different names....
Great article, this will be very helpful in steering my son when the time comes.
Nerd, sorry to hear you so disheartened. It can be hard when it feels like the whole world is wired to work against you. You love books but can't see yourself being able to complete a librarian course...what about a book store? Or have you ever thought about writing a book? Or working from home as a proof reader etc. There are correspondance courses that you can pay off over a period of time. You may also be able to get help with funding due to having a disability. There are a lot of options, it can seem overwhelming sometimes but it's worth exploring.
Good luck and many hugs. xox
I would focus on Asperger strengths rather than dwell on the negatives. I would read Dale Carnegie - "how to win friends and influence people". He provides a formula that is basic psychology, but highly effective.
Focus is an AS strength - find a subject and attack it. Start your own company, invent things, or use your brain capacity for good deeds.
I see AS like a video game. Some players are fast, and others are strong, but no one has booth.
As a librarian with Aspergers I would not recommend it for most people. There are actually major social and political aspects that are nigh unto impossible.
Pure "cataloging" with no public contact such as possibly at a large univerisity or maybe the Library of Congress. Also there is now a strong information science component. Check out the School of Information Science at the University of Michigan for an example.
Liking books is actually only part of succeeding in libraries. Most of us now spend much little time at work reading and much time interacting.
So far I usually get away with being considered eccentric by most people but it is not anything to count on.
i have only recently discovered i have adult aspergers since march 2011, i did have a job in retail for 26 years. As i have short term memory problem as today i was trying to train as a forklift truck driver but i kept forgetting how to drive correctly so i failed.
you've given me new idea's for what jobs to lookout for..
peter Rowley UK 17th May 2011
As an adult with Asperger's who DOES have a job, and has had a job since I left university (and even when I was studying), I have to say that I see too many sob stories here. No one, no god and no world owes you anything so suck it up. Maybe I have been lucky enough that my dubious social skills have been tolerated due to my reasonable work skills, but somehow I have always been able to find work and get in the door. I now earn well over 6 figures a year in software and engineering and I am only in my mid 30's, married and two daughters one of which also has Asperger's.
As per another post by Scott if you can't find work it's probably not your Asperger's, but just general negative outlook and looking to blame someone or something. Start looking at the positives and work with those. Come up with ways to sell your positive traits.
Specifically to "Nerd" wishing you would drop dead isn't going to get you anywhere; only *you* can make positive changes in your life.
If this post seems somewhat harsh then I apologize, but sometimes people need a little encouragement to pull out that proverbial finger do they not?
As for me I still have a lot of bad social skills and I've found the best way to handle that is to let it out when at home (although I'm trying to reign those in a little too) and keep as best a lid on it when out in public. Lucky for me my wife is very understanding and maybe even luckier as things turned out I now work from home. Due to this the typical comment when I do go out is "You don't get out much, do you?"
Anyway I have said enough... I hope at least one person is motivated to turn things around for themselves after reading my drivel. Thanks.
I have Asperger's, but I don't fit the image some still have of the disorder. Not all Aspie's love math and computers, drawing, drafting etc. I personally need more interaction than some of these jobs you recommend or I would be very bored.
I am 36, female, and happily married for almost 3 yrs. to a security guard who is a self-described nerd. We have no kids yet, and we will have to get more organized (one of my weaknesses is I'm not) if we ever do.
Also, I can't drive due to clumsiness. Yes, gym class was a huge nightmare!! I also get lost easily and have trouble using a map (visio-spatial processing problems).
I have a BA- French literature major- was originally an English major. I hate computers and would have found computer and accounting intolerable and difficult. I have probably gotten over most of the social aspects of Asperger's as I have quite a few friends (but am no social butterfly).
I enjoy gardening, kids, and writing. I earn some money writing at Helium.com
I love learning to cook and bake better. We are learning some money saving strategies and love reward programs, too. I like to take part in psych research surveys for $/incentives, and am a member of a number of survey panels online. Since I have never worked more than part time, this comes in handy.
Dear "Nerd",
Please don't lose hope. Sometimes things seem hopeless...but keep focused on finding a solution. Unemployment is a problem many (including those without disorders) now face.
My dad was mid-program at a University--wanted to be a teacher. Had 2 kids and a wife and realized he couldn't make enough money. So he switched programs and got a degree in business instead...Then out of school, he could only find retail sales jobs.
His heart was in teaching so he delivered newspapers and made pizzas while supporting his now family of 5--so he could go back and finish his teaching degree.
Like many others, he made sacrifices, was creative and persistent...and you can too.
God will open up doors if you look to Him. He loves you and made you unique and special. You have so much to offer others; it just may take time to discover your path.
God bless you, Michelle
Peter Rowley from UK.
I have just started a new job as a parttime traffic marshal, i wear hi-viz uniform & direct traffic at sporting events & pop concerts. I have been told that we will be needed at the olympics in London 2012.
I have Asperger's. I love math and languages - but I found tax accounting to be deathly boring and very unappealing. I am much happier doing language translation work. I am currently fluent in Spanish and am gradually becoming fluent in Russian. I believe you should add document translation work to the list of good jobs for people with Asperger's.
You should also indicate some qualifications with regard to accounting and tax because I found social skills were more important than intellectual ones in tax and accounting / auditing alike. I have a masters in taxation that I don't use because of it. I don't think accounting or tax work is highly suitable for folks like me with Aspergers.
I highly recommend "Be Different", thew new book by John Elder Robison. He talks about how he worked hard to obtain some social skills to work with others - to a degree. While recognizing that Asperger's is a spectrum condition, it is refreshingly positive overall, and focuses on what "Aspergians" CAN do, not what they can't.
Incidentally, has anyone seen more complex tics in children with Asperger's? My 6-year old daughter is on the very low spectrum - is pretty social overall with an advanced vocabulary and reading level but shows a complex motor tic when she's particularly engaged with her imagination (drawing, playing dolls with her sister.) The hand that is not busy kind of dances, or paints in the air (it's actually quite beautiful, sometimes, but attracts stares and questions from others and I'm worried about teasing and mostly worried about unqualified and misguided guidance counselors pouncing on this as representative as something more serious than it is.) It's never when she's agitated or upset, but, as she puts it, "My thoughts are so strong...", or "I'm making it move," (in context of drawing), and occurs only when her imagination is engaged. Anyone have experience with this, or leads to literature about it?
Many thanks!
Wow Keith Miller, could you be a bit more offensive??? People are discouraged because life has been extra difficult. Saying "suck it up" doesn't help at all. Then again, I'm not really being nice either! As for me, I have been on anti-depressants and studying cognitive therapy and self-improvement for over a decade --- but that is only to help me be on the same level as "normal" people. I have about 4 years worth of college + university including a diploma in graphic arts. Unfortunately in this economy graphic design and web design are also being outsourced to India or idiots who charge like 5$ per month for a complete website or else people just do it themselves. But I do feel self-employment is the best route for me, whether it's illustration or lawn mowing or whatever. It saves you from the dreaded office politics!
Keith Miller,
If you're trying to give people a little encouragement, you're doing it the wrong way. Someone who is discouraged and comes across your post is likely to become even more discouraged. People only become discouraged after the "positive thinking" approach and the "suck it up, get over it" approach that you advocate, as well as lots of other approaches, have already failed them. Your advice comes across as naive and, if someone who read your advice had the misfortune of thinking they should listen to you, it would probably make that person feel even more negative about themselves than they did before, thus reinforcing their negative outlook.
People who have reached the point of despair after years and years of struggling don't need to be berated for feeling frustrated. They need understanding. And you need to understand and appreciate that life is hard for most people out there, and you're one of the lucky ones if you can just "suck it up."
I only tell you this because it really does seem like you're trying to give good advice. If you want to give good advice, try to keep in mind that you've been blessed in your professional life and not everyone is as lucky.
I worked for nine years for a telecom company in their tier one support. I had to answer phones, so it involved a lot of verbal comm. but no eye contact needed. You do have to be able to access short term memory, but most of it is technical, more long term troubleshooting; it is not for every AS person for sure but I handled it well. I have not been dx'd with AS but I have two children who have and I fit their characteristics in many ways, having outgrown some of them as a child. One thing that has helped my suspected AS is having children with it. In order to be their mouthpiece I have HAD to put my anxiety about social stuff aside. My husband also has many AS qualities, probably why we hooked up. Haha.
For people with this kind of disorder, the key to prevent suffering later on in life is early intervention.
I was recently diagnosed with AS despite being outwardly successful. The best advice that I ever received is that we have to live in the real world. I understand Sartre's comment that hell is other people. Nonetheless, it does get better over time. Hang in there fellow Aspies. Sooner or later you will find a career at which you will succeed. All that it takes is the one chance for someone to see your talents
Like Anonymous, I have found call centre jobs to be great for Aspies - I work in a moderately techie finance call centre. It helps so much that there is no face-to-face contact with the clients. I'm sure my boss and workmates find me odd, but the callers like me and I havent been unemployed for 11 years.
My career is a PhD-level biomedical cancer researcher. Scientific research attracts a lot of people with Asperger's traits. However, as one commenter pointed out: social skills are important for nearly every job. My quirky social skills have definitely contributed to lost opportunities, closed doors, burned bridges, and an apparently stalled-out career trajectory. On the other hand, a lower level position not requiring me to supervise others allows me to be more, not less, productive and feels so much better. I can relate to John Elder Robison's story of leaving the executive suite and getting back to doing what one is good at--even if a paycut happens. Science is a good job for many with Asperger's--but do be aware of formally learning neurotypical social skills! It will help in any field.
I've got a job as an embedded programmer. But the workplace is just driving me crazy. It's a chaotic, messy, open-plan office with bad acoustics, and a very social group of people working there. Some of them are ADHD. Even many "normal" people complain about it. I spend my day drowning it out in music.
I would like to hear more about older teenage girls with aspergers, I have concerns about my daughter, who is aging out of school
Keith Miller,
Ok, I agree with everyone, if you are trying to give encouragement, you are doing it the wrong way. You must learn how to choose your words better and learn consideration for others and their feelings and opinions, you must learn to respect them. I know its a hard lesson to learn with Aspergers, but if you try to be more respectful and considerate, you will get a whole lot more respect. To Nerd, i hear you hunnie, but its never too late to pursue your future as a librarian,as to regards of finding a job, Im having a difficult time too, believe me. I got lucky i got another position at Popeyes as a lobby hostess for 5/days a week, 2-3 hours, It's not much, but i am also attending Keiser University studying for my associates in Science in Medical Assisting. Im 26 and was diagnosed with Aspergers when i was 15. My advice for you is to never give up, always keep your head held high. Every job interview you go to, be professional, respectful, and be as postitive and confident as you can, everytime i went to a job interview, they always loved that about me. I have a good feeling your future's going to be very bright, I hope my advice helps you!:)
To everyone else, I agree with all of you! Yes, people in the workforce do need to be more tolerant to work with people, not just only with Aspergers, but with all disabilities as well, and Colleges and Universities need to be more aware of that as well. People with AS/Autism should not have to be forced to be driven into:
1. Accepting the fact that they can only work minimum wage jobs, barely making it all their lives.
2.Filing for full disability just because much our american society and many corporations refuse to accept and work with a person with AS and Autism.
How people treat us in this country is totally unacceptable, none of us should tolerate it, you know what i mean guys? It's not that we cannot handle working, its the sole fact that People don't want to deal with people with disabilities, that is such a heartbreaking fact, it breaks my heart for all those looking for jobs, many cooperations not giving them a chance. Yeah, we have our limits and flaws, but everyone does. I love the article though so true and very helpful. Yeah, i tried fast food cashiering, NEVER AGAIN,LOL! I have problems with my short-term and social skills as well, it's really amazing how AS is being spoken of without fear. I wish all of you nothing but best wishes, the lords blessings to be upon all of you! Feel free to reply to my post my friends, especially if getting my associates in Medical Assisting's a good idea or not, or simply if you have any advice and encouragement from me. And to the one who posted about Vocational Rehab, the only thing i benefited from that was just getting a part-time minimal wage job, if they claim they can help your child with college, don't hold your breath. I say that due to the lengthy process of getting services from them and due to the status of our economy, thanks to our government for their careless actions. I would suggest you look into FASFA and Scholarships for your child, im just simply saying do not trust Vocational rehab pertaining to that. :) I hope all my advice and loving encouragement helps! :)
I'm currently looking for a new job, and I'm glad I've come across this.
I have Aspergers with a mild brain injury (hydrocephalus). Pretty much the only thing is my short term memory, fine motor skills, and a couple other things.
Anyways, all these career tests say I'd be good at working in an office or some sort of IT job. I am A+ Certified, so I could get a computer tech job. I also went back to school and trained in Microsoft Excel and Word 2010 Advanced level.
As for office jobs, being a secretary or anything front office is out. I'm not really that sociable, so I'll take as little people contact as possible. Behind the scenes is where it's at for me.
I've heard a lot of talk about data entry being obsolete or outsourced, that was my next choice. Next think after that was something to do with filing or record keeping.
My mom has mentioned about having my own business, but I don't know that would turn out.
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